Census tract · Mercer County

Census Tract 15, Mercer County, West Virginia

Census Tract 15, GEOID 54055001500, in Mercer County, West Virginia, partly within Princeton. 6,405 residents in the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (±897); the 2020 Census counted 5,472.

Residents, 2020-2024

6,405

±897 (90% margin)
2020 Census count: 5,472

Median household income

$46,463

±$12,321 (90% margin)
Mercer County: $53,210

Median home value

$170,100

±$13,531 (90% margin)
Mercer County: $121,700

Median gross rent

$607

±$326 (90% margin)
Mercer County: $810

Where is Census Tract 15?

Census Tract 15 is one of 16 census tracts in Mercer County, West Virginia. It covers 11.90 square miles of land, 460 residents per square mile in 2020. Its GEOID, 54055001500, names it uniquely (how tract numbers and GEOIDs work).

Places Census Tract 15 lies in (share of its 2020 census blocks)
PlaceShare of the tract
Princeton31%
Census Tract 15 (marked with a dot) in Mercer County, West Virginia. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.
101618 15 2 mi
Census Tract 15 (shaded) and the tracts that border it, numbered. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024 cartographic boundary file, 1:500,000.

5 census tracts border Census Tract 15: Tract 10 ($41,886), Tract 13 ($42,833), Tract 14 ($52,931), Tract 16 ($64,079) and Tract 18 ($61,786). The figure in brackets is each tract's median household income.

Whether a tract counts as low- or moderate-income for bank lending (the Community Reinvestment Act) is set by the FFIEC against its metro area's family income: look it up in the FFIEC census geocoder.

Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 block assignment files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files

How many people live in Census Tract 15?

The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts Census Tract 15's population at 6,405 (±897) in 2,395 households; the 2020 Census counted 5,472 residents and 2,510 housing units.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure Tract 15Mercer CountyWest Virginia
Total population 6,405 ±897 58,563 1,778,373
Households 2,395 ±226 24,224 728,655
Average household size 2.66 ±0.30 2.36 2.37
Housing units 2,577 ±232 29,345 861,325

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Census Tract 15?

The median resident of Census Tract 15 is 38.2 years old; 24.0% are under 18 and 22.5% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 85.1%, then non-Hispanic Black residents at 6.8%.

Age, origin, education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure Tract 15Mercer CountyWest Virginia
Median age 38.2 ±6.5 43.5 42.7
Under 18 years 24.0% ±4.7 pts 20.8% 20.0%
65 years and over 22.5% ±5.3 pts 22.9% 21.0%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1.4% ±1.1 pts 1.3% 2.1%
White alone, not Hispanic 85.1% ±5.6 pts 88.6% 89.7%
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic 6.8% ±4.7 pts 4.1% 3.1%
Asian alone, not Hispanic 0.2% ±0.4 pts 0.2% 0.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic 0.0% ±0.6 pts 0.4% 0.1%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic 0.0% ±0.6 pts 0.0% 0.0%
Two or more races, not Hispanic 5.5% ±2.4 pts 5.2% 3.9%
Some other race alone, not Hispanic 0.9% ±1.6 pts 0.3% 0.3%
Born outside the United States 0.6% ±0.8 pts 0.6% 1.8%
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) 1.0% ±0.9 pts 1.9% 2.5%
Civilian veterans (age 18+) 8.3% ±3.8 pts 7.4% 7.4%
With a disability 20.3% ±5.5 pts 23.3% 19.1%
No health insurance coverage 2.7% ±2.1 pts 4.9% 6.0%
High school graduate or higher (age 25+) 91.8% ±4.9 pts 88.6% 89.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) 26.8% ±7.3 pts 22.9% 24.1%
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) 11.7% ±4.7 pts 8.2% 9.7%
Lived in the same house a year earlier 91.9% ±4.9 pts 90.2% 89.7%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Census Tract 15 earn?

Half of the 2,395 households in Census Tract 15 earn less than $46,463 a year (±$12,321), against $53,210 across Mercer County: 12th highest of the county's 16 tracts with a reliable estimate. 19.4% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure Tract 15Mercer CountyWest Virginia
Median household income $46,463 ±$12,321 $53,210 $59,608
Mean household income $72,726 ±$10,843 $71,510 $81,190
Per capita income $29,174 ±$5,133 $30,362 $34,203
People below the poverty line 19.4% ±10.1 pts 16.5% 16.7%
Children under 18 below the poverty line 30.7% ±18.2 pts 19.0% 21.5%
Households receiving SNAP 22.5% ±9.6 pts 21.6% 17.3%
Households with a computer 92.9% ±5.8 pts 91.9% 91.2%
Households with a broadband subscription 83.9% ±8.5 pts 86.5% 86.1%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Census Tract 15?

Owners occupy 72.2% of Census Tract 15's occupied homes and renters 27.8%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $170,100 by its owner (±$13,531). The median renter pays $607 a month including utilities, and 51.4% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure Tract 15Mercer CountyWest Virginia
Median home value (owner-occupied) $170,100 ±$13,531 $121,700 $162,600
Median gross rent $607 ±$326 $810 $872
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent 51.4% ±29.5 pts 38.9% 39.0%
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage $1,214 ±$101 $1,151 $1,255
Owner-occupied homes 72.2% ±6.9 pts 72.9% 74.9%
Renter-occupied homes 27.8% ±6.9 pts 27.1% 25.1%
Housing units 2,577 ±232 29,345 861,325
Single-family detached homes 71.3% ±7.8 pts 66.8% 70.9%
Mobile homes 13.6% ±6.1 pts 20.2% 13.6%
Built 2020 or later 0.0% ±1.4 pts 0.6% 1.0%
Built 2010 to 2019 7.7% ±5.2 pts 5.1% 7.0%
Built 1939 or earlier 6.4% ±3.5 pts 16.1% 14.9%
Households with no vehicle 15.0% ±8.5 pts 6.5% 8.0%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How do people in Census Tract 15 get to work?

78.7% of Census Tract 15's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 18.0 minutes.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure Tract 15Mercer CountyWest Virginia
In the labor force (age 16+) 47.3% ±7.7 pts 50.8% 53.8%
Unemployment rate 0.8% ±1.4 pts 2.7% 5.4%
Drove alone to work 78.7% ±9.0 pts 81.9% 78.1%
Carpooled 12.3% ±7.2 pts 7.0% 8.5%
Public transportation 0.0% ±1.7 pts 0.5% 0.5%
Walked 2.6% ±3.9 pts 2.1% 2.5%
Worked from home 4.8% ±3.6 pts 6.6% 9.1%
Mean travel time to work 18.0 min ±3.0 24.0 min 26.6 min

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Census Tract 15 compare with the other tracts in Mercer County?

Among Mercer County's tracts with a reliable estimate, Census Tract 15 ranks as shown below (1 = highest).

Census Tract 15's rank among the tracts of Mercer County
MeasureIn Mercer County
Population1st of 16
Residents per square mile7th of 16
Median household income12th of 16
Per capita income7th of 16
Median home value3rd of 16
Median gross rent11th of 13
Poverty rate6th of 14
Bachelor's degree or higher4th of 16
Median age14th of 16
Owner-occupied share8th of 16

The tracts next to it on Mercer County's income ladder

Median household income, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
TractRankMedian household incomeResidents
Tract 149th$52,931±$8,416 · within the margin of this tract2,465
Tract 2110th$52,237±$16,058 · within the margin of this tract2,842
Tract 1711th$47,361±$10,734 · within the margin of this tract5,152
Tract 1512th$46,463±$12,3216,405
Tract 2013th$43,609±$16,182 · within the margin of this tract2,242
Tract 1314th$42,833±$11,461 · within the margin of this tract3,922
Tract 1015th$41,886±$13,128 · within the margin of this tract4,704

"Within the margin": the two incomes differ by less than their combined 90% margins, so the survey cannot say which is higher and the ranks between them are not firm.

Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · How ranks are computed

How reliable are the figures for Census Tract 15?

4 of the 18 figures for Census Tract 15 on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.

A census tract's figures rest on a few hundred sampled households over five years, so its margins are wider than a city's. Two tracts differ only when the gap between them is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins). How to read a margin of error.

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · Check it at data.census.gov

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections